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RHÔNE

Latin: Rhodanus, French: Rhône.

Length (km): 810
Drainage Area (km2): 98 000
Discharge (m3/s): 1 700
Countries: 3
Population: 15 000 000
Sea at Mouth: Mediterranean
Ramsar Sites: 3

The Rhône River, one of the major rivers in Western Europe, rises from the Rhone glacier at an altitude of 1 765 m. After flowing through Switzerland for 260 km, it enters France through Lake Leman. The river flows through France for 550 km before entering the Mediterranean Sea. The total area of the river basin is 98 000 km2, of which 8 000 km2 is in Switzerland. The main tributaries are the Ain (200 km), the Saône (450 km), and its tributary the Doubs (430 km), the Ardèche (112 km), the Gard (140 km), the Arve (100 km), the Isère (290 km), the Drôme (100 km) and the Durance (350 km).

The Rhône is an important resource for agriculture, industry, tourism, transportation and the generation of energy.

The Rhône delta is known as the Camargue and begins 3 kilometres above Arles. The Camargue has a surface area of 800 km2 and is surrounded by the Petit and Grand Rhône. This region is one of the major wildlife areas of Europe. At the end of the nineteenth century, the area between the delta and the sea was closed with dykes. This has had major consequences for what was once a dynamic area.

The Camargue is used for extraction of salt, agriculture, recreation and industry. In particular, the cultivation of rice and the extraction of salt have opposite requirements. The rice producers pump millions of m3 of freshwater into the Camargue, while the salt industry pumps millions of m3 of seawater into the delta.

Rhône Basin Authority:
www.eaurmc.fr
rdb.eaurmc.fr